Saturday, October 11, 2014

Review #13 - Eagle Rare Single Barrel Bourbon 10 Year

Eagle Rare is distilled at Buffalo Trace and is age stated at 10 years old. Originally Eagle Rare was distilled by Seagram Company at 101 proof but the label was acquired by Sazerac in 1989 and turned over to be distilled at the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort Kentucky. The 101 proof bourbon was reduced to 90 proof in 1995 and recently Buffalo Trace transitioned Eagle Rare from a Single Barrel to a Small Batch to improve consistency among bottles. This review will be of the Eagle Rare 90 proof single barrel aged for 10 years.PRODUCT SPECSWhiskey Type -BourbonAge - 10 yearsMashbill - Buffalo Trace Mashbill #1 (Low Rye)Alcohol By Volume (ABV) - 45.0% (90 proof)

FINISHEagle Rare has a nice oily mouthfeel with a high amount of spice and light wood. The finish is dominated by a nice long cinnamon and herbal tea flavor with oak presence.FINAL IMPRESSIONSI enjoy Eagle Rare and I think it's a perfect daily sipper that is typically found at most stores at a good price. That being said it seems to be lacking a unique standout component. It's balance is good but comes across somewhat flat. Eagle Rare is one of those bourbons that are a bit of a mystery to me. It's distilled using Buffalo Trace's Low Rye mashbill and I tend to favor the High Rye mashbill expressed in bourbons such as Blantons or Elmer T Lee. I would be interested to compare this 10 year versus the 17 year old version released in the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection.PRODUCT RATING 3.0 out of 5RATING SYSTEM0 - hot dog water - nothing redeeming1 - one dimensional - not complex and can be flat in areas2 - entry level whiskey - a few highlights for a good value3 - daily sipper - solid, well made product that is always enjoyed.4 - big whiskey - complex layered flavors - amazing balance5 - huge, exceptional, unique, one of a kind